Accreditation Updates

Information about the Commission on Dental Accreditation's activities is available to everyone. The Commission meets twice a year, usually in the winter and the summer. Following each meeting the communities of interest are notified via email that the CODA Communicator, currently a web-based newsletter, is available on the Commission’s website; this newsletter is available to all of CODA’s communities of interest.

If you have not received an issue of the CODA Communicator, please contact Mr. Gregg Marquardt, marquardtg@ada.org, and he will add your email address to the Commission’s distribution for the next issue.

Additionally, hearings on standards are held at various meetings during which comments may be submitted to CODA on proposed or revised Accreditation Standards. Please review the left navigation, where you can access the proposed accreditation standards out for comment. CODA's meeting materials may also be of interest.

News and Highlights:

CODA Progresses through USDE Re-Recognition Review – UPDATE

We are pleased to announce the United States Department of Education has accepted the Commission’s petition to renew its status as an accreditor for the full scope of five years.

To renew its recognition status as the sole accreditor of dental and dental-related education programs in the United States, the Commission on Dental Accreditation submits a petition every five years to the United States Department of Education.

In January 2017, as part of this process, Commission staff submitted “self-study” petition materials for the USDE’s review. In June, the Commission verbally presented its petition at the National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) meeting in Washington, D.C..

At its Summer 2017 Meeting, the Commission on Dental Accreditation adopted revisions to the Policy and Procedure Regarding Investigation of Complaints Against Educational Programs. Upon adoption of these revisions, the Commission directed staff to review outstanding anonymous complaints against educational programs to determine the need for immediate investigation and processing of anonymous complaints in accordance with the revised Policy. See the File a Complaint page for more information regarding the Commission’s complaint policy and procedure.

The Commission has directed that an ad hoc committee composed of Commission members be appointed to further study the request for establishment of a Review Committee for Dental Anesthesiology Education, in accordance with the Commission’s Policy on Changes to the Composition of Review Committees and the Board of Commissioners, with a report at the Winter 2018 meeting.

CODA Considers Request to Establish an Accreditation Program for Advanced General Dentistry Education Programs in Operative Dentistry

The Commission has directed that an ad hoc committee composed of Commission members be appointed to further study the request for establishment of an accreditation program for advanced general dentistry education programs in operative dentistry, in accordance with the Commission’s Policies and Procedures for Accreditation of Programs in Areas of Advanced Training in General Dentistry, with a report at the Winter 2018 meeting.

Adoption of CODA White Paper:Transition to an Operational Structure for Independent Authority

The Commission on Dental Accreditation, during its August 1, 2014 meeting, adopted the Commission on Dental Accreditation White Paper: Transition to an Operational Structure for Independent Authority. The White Paper provides background on the role and responsibilities of the Commission, as well as the history of the Commission and its relationship to the American Dental Association (ADA). The White Paper concludes with information related to a re-examination of the Commission’s relationship with the ADA. Read the Commission’s White Paper: